If Your Dog Licks Its Mouth, Check Your Attitude

Briana Hansen

When you're angry and being a jerk to another person, there are plenty of physical (and verbal) signals that you'll receive from whomever you're interacting with that tell you to tone it down. Well, it turns out our dogs may also give us physical cues to our terrible attitude, and it comes in the form of a sassy lip lick.

Researchers at the University of Sao Paolo published a recent study that linked dogs licking their lips to certain human responses. Specifically, an angry human visual cue — like a mean face — was a telltale sign that a dog would lick its lips.

Of course, dogs may lick their lips for other reasons, like when they're anticipating eating some delicious kibble for dinner. But this research shows that food isn't the only reason these pups would lick their lips. They're also trying to seemingly tell you they got the hint you're in a bad mood.

These findings may help support the claim that our canine counterparts are constantly communicating with us as part of their evolution and survival. Rather than communication being a one way street, it seems dogs have developed plenty of ways to signal their true thoughts and feelings to us, even when we're being difficult.

Then again, anyone who has a strong connection with their doggo already pretty much knew all that.